Searching [Chapter 14]

[esp_dragon]

Fandom: Original
Summary: The world of Torpin is open, dragging in xeni from other worlds. The majority of them are monsters, prone to violence. There are some, however, that are not, and are able to live amongst the human population, if allowed to. Marland should know; he's one of them. His job is to hunt and stop the xeni that seek only to destroy what's around them. On one job, a human xeno drops through a portal, an event which Marland has never heard of happening before. And that's not the only thing different about the human...
Rating: R/NC-17
Notes: Contains swearing, dead bodies, bloody fighting.
Ugh, seriously have no idea how to rate this. D:
*laughs at my tags*
Yep, really set some stuff up for a sequel. XD;;
Genre: Urban fantasy
Word count: 9,537
Total word count: 98,057
Status: Work in Progress (reposting, but is complete)



Kendal was in the room the next time Marland woke up; she was leaning on the desk again, Ronthar on his own bed. In her hands were two strips of blank cloth, far too similar to the collars he and Ronthar had just been wearing.

When she caught him staring at them, she tilted a smile at him, swinging the two pieces of fabric in a loose circle. "Don't worry," she assured him, "they don't do anything."

Marland continued to regard them warily – why had she brought them?

"We should wear them," Ronthar told him. "If they think we can't use our magic, we will be able to catch them by surprise."

Okay, that was a point. He couldn't stop staring at them though. "Are we going now?"

Kendal shook her head. "We'll hand you in just after the sun sets – we don't want another repeat of what happened the last time you escaped."

Marland's ears flicked down at that reminder. Ugh.

"Plus, it'd probably be a good idea to eat before anyway – who knows how long it'll take for you to get there."

"…You've been thinking a lot like this."

She shrugged. "I'm not the one who's been recovering from being electrocuted every day. Anyway, those are the basics." She frowned down at the fabric in her hands. "We can't get any real information about the person who wants you – only the people who sort things out there are allowed to access it, and only certain people too. We really can't help you that much."

"I disagree," Ronthar said, smiling softly at her. "You housed and fed us, and let us rest here without asking for anything in return."

Kendal eyed him for a few seconds and then snorted. "I'd prefer to help by shooting a target and not leaving you two alone there." She glanced at Marland from the corner of her eyes. "Do you want lunch now or later?"

Considering how his stomach was feeling like he hadn't eaten for an entire day? "Now." Maybe eating would help settle the sudden uneasiness that had settled into his stomach.

* * *
Marland poked at the collar around his neck before he let his hand fall. If he did that too often, he'd probably accidently cut it off. He couldn't feel it against his scales, but he knew it was there, and that was apparently enough to make the skin under his scales itch to want it off.

The street he and Ronthar were standing in was dark enough that Marland felt as comfortable as he could in that situation, and it was completely deserted, apart from Kendal, who had called the xeno collectors.

He heard the van rumbling up the street before he saw it. He ducked into the closest alley, squashing the dread that was rising up in him. Kendal said that the collectors wouldn't hurt him, but...they were used to dealing with dead xeni, not living ones. How did she know that they'd tolerate him?

The van slowed to a stop next to Kendal, and Marland heard the window winding down.

"So, I don't see any xeno 'round here, an' I gotta wonder why Shodin's with you."

Marland's ears twitched as he recognised the voice. Laris?

Why was – did Laris collect xeni for Kendal's team too? If he did, that would explain how she knew Laris wouldn't hurt him, but how did she know Laris collected xeni for him as well?

"We're handing them in," Kendal said dryly.

There was a pause. "What are you up to?" Laris sighed.

"They want to go back there; we're helping them do that." Marland heard her shrug.

When Laris fell silent again, Marland stepped out of the alley. Laris poked his head out the window when he neared them. "What're you two planning?"

Marland didn't answer, his ears flicking down before going up again. The plan was simple, but explaining why would take some time – it also wasn't his story to tell, really.

Laris eyed the three of them before he shook his head. "If you're sure that's what you want to do."

"It is," Ronthar said quietly.

"All right." Laris pulled his head back into the van and said, "Go give 'em the cuffs."

"Huh?" came Nav's voice. "Why do you need them?"

"Because no-one'll believe they're 'safe' to be around if they're not bound." There was a rummaging sound before the other door clicked open. When Laris turned to them again, there was a small electronic pad in his hands.

"Usual account?" he asked, tapping on the pad.

"Yeah," Kendal answered. "Not that we really need it, but I guess it'll be useful for 'just in case'."

Marland looked between them, confused. Laris didn't give Kendal an envelope of money?

Laris saw his look and waved the miniature pen at Kendal. "Normally money transfers are done electronically, just in case collectors try to steal money while on the job. Since you can't get a bank account…" He shrugged. "You're one of the exceptions."

Nav came up to them then, a pair of metal shackles in his hand, the cuffs wide and thick. "So, uh, do you want to get them on now or later?"

"Later," Marland said, his snout wrinkling a little. The less he wore the restraints, the better he'd feel; he'd rather not wear any of them at all, but if it helped their situation and gave them a slight advantage, he'd do it.

"All right," Nav said uncertainly, fiddling with the shackles. "Do you wanna go into the back?"

Marland and Ronthar nodded, and Marland's ears flattened at the thought of finally leaving.

"Try not to get killed or caught properly," Kendal said behind them when they started going towards the back of the van.

Marland snorted. "Yeah." Like he hadn't been thinking about that already.

The back of the van stank of…Marland couldn't place what the smell was. He assumed it was a mostly a mix of xeni’s blood and disinfectant.

Unsurprisingly, there wasn't a place to sit, for either of them. The walls were lined with tools, some of which Marland could recognise, but others he couldn’t. There was also a couple of small plastic boxes stacked on top of each other close to the door. On the ceiling was a thick hook and Marland eyed it. What did they hang from there?

Nav was called to the front of the van for a few seconds while Ronthar clambered in and Marland tried to see if there was a spot he could lie in which had the least chance of him knocking something over. There wasn't one, not unless he lay right in the centre, and even then, if he extended his wings a little bit, he'd still hit something.

"Maybe if you lay a little bit on your side?" Ronthar suggested after he'd sat down near the front of the van. "The floor would stop that wing from extending too far."

It was the best idea – Marland just hoped they wouldn't have to go around too many corners – and that none of the tools fell on top of them while they were riding inside it. The hooks curved sharply up so they probably wouldn't let anything slip off them unless the tool was lifted off it, and the floor didn't have any dents under where the tools were, so it seemed safe. As he was lying down, trying to keep his head as far from the floor as he could, Nav came back into sight.

"Hey, Laris says that he'll knock on the divider when we get close so that'll be the signal to put the shackles on," Nav told them while he put the restraints on the floor. He then climbed in and held onto the edge of the roof as he fiddled about with a small light that Marland hadn't noticed on the ceiling. It eventually flickered on, brightening the van a little.

"There. That should stay on when the doors shut so you can still see each other," Nav said, sounding satisfied. "Do you…need anything?" he asked awkwardly, glancing at them as he scratched the back of his head. "We can stop for food and drink on the way back…"

"That's all right," Ronthar said, holding his hands up to placate him. "We already ate before we left."

Nav continued to look at them, his brows creased in worry. "Okay. We should get back in something like two hours." He stepped back down and placed a hand on one of the doors. "Uh, yeah, so I'll see you then." He turned his face away and closed the doors. The light stayed on and it was bright enough that Marland could see fine, but he wasn't sure if Ronthar would be able to see well.

He ran his claws along the floor as they listened to the noises outside. Marland was already tense enough that his muscles felt stiff. It wasn't long before he heard the front door open and slam shut. A few seconds later the engine started and the van lurched forward.

Marland hadn't realised the tools would rattle when the van was in motion and he eyed some of them warily to see how far they jumped. They didn't move that much - they just made a lot of noise. It seemed like it anyway. The shackles did move though and Marland hooked his toes around them and pulled them up so that he and Ronthar could hold one each away from the floor. They were lighter than he expected and the cuffs hung off the chains easily. The engine seemed to be louder than Kendal's van as well, but when Marland thought about it, it made sense – Laris' van was supposed to carry xeni which could be a lot heavier than a group of humans.

The trip wasn't bad as they travelled – the corners were taken slowly so they didn't have to adjust their weight that much when they happened, but he could hear and feel the engine rumbling under him. Marland and Ronthar didn't talk at all and Marland spent most of the time keeping his head away from the floor and staring at some of the tools. Most of them looked like they were used to cut a xeni into pieces, while the rest looked like they were for moving xeni. It had been a stomach churning moment when he realised what they did. After that, he studied the shackles. The chain between the cuffs was long enough that he would still move his arms around quite freely and they looked quite thin when it was compared to the cuffs – they didn't look like they were really for restraining, but Marland had an idea of humanoids in his mind. It was probably restraining for something with different proportions. But why did Laris and Nav have them if they only dealt with dead xeni?

Marland wasn't sure if it had been two hours before he heard three knocks on the divider, the sound hollow and loud. Without a word, Marland and Ronthar slipped the shackles on. He hoped his fire would be able to burn through them but maybe if he wasn't able to, it could help keep the charade about them being helpless for longer. Marland did a quick test of his magic and fire flickered from his palm before he cut it off. Good. He could still cast magic. It still felt a bit odd, and he had to push past the instinctive reflex to not cast magic after he'd begun to pair using magic with pain, but it still came mostly easily.

There was suddenly a breeze whistling through the van and Marland looked at Ronthar in surprise, who had his hands in a cupped position.

Ronthar blinked at him and then chuckled weakly before he ducked his head. "I never said what magic I could do, did I?"

Marland shook his head. He'd assumed that Ronthar had the same magic as Fion and hadn't thought about it any further.

"Fion's magic is based around lightning; my magic is based around wind – they complement each other," Ronthar explained, moving his hands as he spoke, making the chains clink together.

Marland stared at him as he thought it over. So, he wouldn't have to worry about his eyesight while Ronthar used his magic. That was unexpected, but it would definitely help, and he wouldn't have to worry about being randomly blinded every minute.

He could feel the van slowing down and he tensed and flicked his wings out when the van rolled over something that made everything lurch. Ronthar had sat down near the top corner so Marland's wing didn't come close to hitting him. It wasn't long before the van stopped completely and he heard the front doors open and close. Shit. Marland's heart picked up its pace as he waited for the back doors to open. They couldn't stop now, couldn't go back. All they could do now was keep going.

The back doors opened, filling the van with a harsh light, and sounds of voices and machinery washed in a flurry. The smell wasn't something Marland could describe either. Marland's ears clamped down on his skull as he realised just how many people there had to be to make that amount of noise.

"All right, you two, get out," Laris' told them gruffly.

Taking a steadying breath, Marland edged his way out, keeping his wings close to his body to make sure he didn't knock anything over. When he cleared the back and stepped away from the doors, Laris gripped his upper arm to make sure he didn't go any further. Right. He wasn't 'free' so he couldn't move wherever he wanted to.

It felt weird standing up again; it was like the world was swaying a little when he stood still.

Marland froze when he glanced over his shoulder. There was a long line of the backs of vans, collectors pulling dead bodies of xeni from them onto carts. He could recognise the cat-like xeni in some of the piles, but some of the corpses weren't recognisable as anything, just a mass of flesh and bones.

He heard footsteps approaching and he turned his head to the person walking up to them. It was a woman, her brown hair tied back. She looked up at him in disinterest before she looked down at the electronic pad in her hands. "Someone patched it up? Huh." She tapped a couple of times on her pad. "All right, we've got a big enough cage for the both of them – they should be getting picked up soon," the woman said as she turned around and started walking away.

Laris tugged at his arm and they followed after her. "That fast?" Laris asked, both his eyebrows raised.

The woman shrugged, not bothering to turn around. "They wanted to be notified as soon as they came in. We haven't worked with them before so I don't know if that's how it is with them."

Marland hadn't thought about what he'd do if there had been humans that he had to pretend around, but he didn't have to act like he was cowed – he didn't want to be there, he didn't want to see all the dead xeni that surrounded him, and he did not like being in the centre of attention either. He could see the humans focusing on him as their group passed and the sounds of conversation and machinery dropped off as the humans paused in what they were doing to stare at him.

He could see where they were heading for – there was a steel cage in the corner of the warehouse area, the mesh thick and durable looking with fairly large spacing between the links. It was large enough that he could stand up semi-comfortably so long as he kept his head down – it was better than he had hoped and at least he wouldn't have to spend the whole time lying down. The woman tapped a code in the panel beside the door and it beeped and lit up green before she pulled the door.

"Well, throw 'em in." She wasn't even looking at them, her focus still taken up by her pad.

Laris nodded and pulled Marland towards the entrance. He hesitated –he did not want to go in- but let himself to led, even if he started growling lowly.

Once they were in, the woman shut the door and the panel beeped again. "Okay," she said as she turned away. "See ya."

Laris and Nav nodded to her and then started walking back to their van again, talking about getting cups of coffee before leaving.

Marland and Ronthar shared a look before Ronthar settled down and sat with his back to a wall. Marland didn't want to talk where he could be heard –he'd seen what happened to xeni that talked (in films, yeah, but after seeing what Balt did as a job, he didn't think that was so 'fantasy' anymore)- and it looked like Ronthar didn't want to talk either.

"Hey, haven't seen you in a while - what's up?"

Marland looked up to see two humans walking towards them. One was wearing a thick red jacket while the other was wearing a bright t-shirt.

"Someone called in a human corpse." Both the humans grimaced, their steps slowing down for a second. "Someone thought it was a shapeshifter, and you know how hard those are to tell if someone's lying."

The one wearing the bright t-shirt sighed, looking up. "It seems like the bodies are really piling up now..." The two disappeared through a door that Marland hadn't realised was right next to them, too focused on the cage.

Was that why it didn't seem too weird that a human showed up on a notice? Because Balt had put down that Ronthar was a shapeshifter?

Marland didn't want to, but he kept an eye on the people milling about them, just in case they got too close. None of them did, and while there seemed to be a lot of curious looks, most seemed to just get on with their work. The unidentified smell didn't fade and seemed to get stronger the longer they stayed there. The bright lights didn't help either, and he could feel a headache building up behind his eyes.

He had just started seeing a small pattern of some xeni being carted off in one direction while others were sent off in another direction before the woman came back, a man and a woman tailing behind her. They were in matching grey suits and they moved stiffly, their strides in sync with each other. There was a suspicious bulge in their pockets that looked similar to the controllers for the collars.

The woman tapped in the code again and held the door open. Marland didn't want to be dragged around so he made his way over slowly, just in case they thought he was going to attack him. The people in the suits had to know he understood human language though. But they had to also know that he'd killed some of 'their people'. Marland heard Ronthar follow him, the floor announcing their steps clearly.

It didn't look like the people in the suits wanted to treat him like a 'stupid xeno' but it didn't seem like they wanted to be near him either, drawing back as he approached them. Keeping him out of arm's reach. Well, they weren't stupid. Which he shouldn't be grudgingly respectful of, since he was going to have to probably kill them soon – if he just ran, they would far too easily warn everyone that he and Ronthar had escaped, and then they'd know that the collars didn't work either.

The pair flanked them as they led the way, keeping Marland and Ronthar in their periphery, the first woman following behind them. It was a non-descript van they were led to and Marland and Ronthar climbed in the back. It was larger than Laris' van with nothing inside it, and it stank of chemicals. That close to the interior, Marland could see scratches and dents on the walls and floor, as well as other marks that he couldn't tell what exactly what they were. Maybe it'd been done with magic? If it had been though, then wouldn't the xeno been able to get out? There was also discoloured…something inside some of the scratches that Marland didn't want to think about too closely.

As soon as they were inside, the doors were slammed behind them, throwing them into darkness. The only light was a small sliver from the gap between the doors. Marland sighed in relief, feeling his eyes strain less and his headache faded slightly.

The van started up after being quiet for a few minutes and Marland turned his head towards the front of the van. He hadn't heard the doors opening or closing, and the engine was only a thrum under him. The van eased forward, going over the bump slowly, but it began to speed up after it had been going straight for a while. Whoever was driving wasn't as careful around corners (they seemed to be going around more of them too) and they seemed to have a habit of stopping more often.

He had no idea where they were going; he hadn't explored Lahstron that much - he could find his way home from certain places, but he only knew the area close to his street well. He hadn't thought it was important to see where places in the city were and he knew if he strayed too far away, he wouldn't have a safe place to hide when he was eventually seen by a human.

Marland had to keep his mind away from the thoughts that the driver would just stop the van and kill them there. The only way he could stop thinking that was by trying to convince himself that they wouldn't kill them so long as he had magic and Ronthar could be used as a hostage against him. It didn't make him feel that much better.

He could hear Ronthar breathing in and out deeply, and he could see that he had his hand wrapped around his upper arm, a finger quickly tapping there. Marland still wasn't sure about what to say to him – whatever he could think of sounded fake and empty. And it wasn't as if Ronthar would really want to hear it from him – getting Fion back was what mattered to him.

It wasn't too long before they went over large bump and Ronthar smacked the back of his head on the front of the van.

"You all right?" Marland asked him, shuffling closer to him.

Ronthar grunted, his head lowered and he gingerly rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not bleeding and I didn't hit it that hard." One of Marland's ears twitched to the side. It sounded like he had.

While they were talking, the engine was switched off and Marland faced away from the back doors, preparing for them to open.

He didn't expect that there would be more doors on the side – he flinched and snarled as he was blinded for a few seconds.

"Hmm, good," a deep voice said. Marland squinted as the light source was partially blocked off. "The collars are still working then."

Marland froze, his eyes going wide. They had used the controllers? If Ronthar hadn't hit his head and he wasn't affected by light…

"Move," the man ordered, stepping away from the door.

While Ronthar got out, Marland eyed the exit. It was going to be awkward with his height and wings, but he was not going to get out on his hands and knees. He moved over to the exit and stood up as much as the van allowed him. He grasped the edge of the roof and hopped off, somehow managing to not clip the bottom of his wings or flap them to correct his balance.

There was a rumbling sound as the woman closed the door behind him.

"This way," the man told them before he started walking away, the controller in clear sight, his fingers resting over the buttons.

They were in an empty underground parking lot, if the paint lines on the ground were anything to go by. It wasn't large, only big enough to fit a couple of cars. To their right was the wide exit that they had just come from; Marland clenched his jaw and turned away from it, making sure to not even look at it, so he didn't give them an excuse to try the controllers again.

The door that the man stood next to beeped and clicked open when Ronthar and Marland neared it. As he walked in at the man's gesture, Marland saw that there was a number pad that the man had used his body to hide. Shit, how much security did they have here? Even if they got their hands on some cardkeys, would that help if they needed codes as well?

The doors led to a staircase; they were directed to go up them and Marland's stomach squirmed as they ascended. When the door closed, it created a hollow echo that seemed final. He and Ronthar hadn't used stairs when they were escaping. On the next floor up, they were told to go through the doors. There wasn't a pad to fiddle about with at least, and Marland didn't think he saw a pad near the door they had just gone through.

Marland winced when Ronthar opened the door and light seared his eyes. He hated being continually surrounded by such bright lights. He kept his head lowered and his eyes slitted, vainly hoping that that would be enough to reduce the amount of light stabbing his eyes. It didn't do much, but it eased the pain a little bit.

They were told exactly where to go and with each order, the dread in Marland's stomach grew. He had no idea where they were, or recognised what they were passing. It all looked the same: the same doors on either side of them, the same green rectangular plaque next to them. The adrenaline stampeded around in his bloodstream, and he tried to stop his body from trembling. Were they in the same building that they had been kept in before? Was Fion even here?

Had they let themselves be brought in for nothing?

Marland's thoughts continued on their downward spiral, becoming faster and faster when his ears pricked up at the sound of someone approaching, the squeak of wheels accompanying them.

A trolley was pushed into their view at the end of the corridor soon after he heard it and Marland stared at the white sheet covering what was unmistakably a human body. The man pushing the trolley didn't look like he was paying attention to his surroundings, his posture hunched over the handles.

Marland watched as the body was pushed past their line of vision, a cold horror spreading through him. What exactly were they doing here? Did they just not care what they were working on, just so long as no-one cared about them?

The woman snorted behind them. "Your magic really isn't friendly."

Marland nearly tripped over his toes and had to stop himself from whipping his heard around to stare at her. She had to be talking about Fion.

But what did she mean by that? Fion wasn't predictable, but he couldn't do anything, not without a body.

"And I told you," Ronthar said tightly, his hands bunching into fists, "my 'magic' doesn't allow anyone to use him unless he lets them."

What? How – how was Fion doing that?

Ronthar sighed, bowing his head, before he straightened up again, staring forward. Marland's ears flicked to his direction when he could hear a light clinking sound from Ronthar's shackles. He was tapping them with his nails, but Marland didn't get why. Marland hadn't seen Ronthar tapping his fingers while he was moving, but he had to keep walking right then so maybe that was it. But…when Ronthar usually tapped, it was a steady beat that didn't change suddenly – it definitely wasn't normally two quick taps and then two slow ones, looping over after it had finished.

"Go left," the man said, and Marland's ears flicked down. They wanted to go right at the end of the corridor, where they'd seen the body being pushed from.

The tapping didn't change, didn't pause at his words, and Marland felt like he was missing something very important.

When they reached the end of the corridor, Ronthar turned his head to the right – there wasn't anyone there, and there wasn't anyone on their left either. Marland could still hear the person behind the trolley trudging along, but the man was getting steadily further and further away.

Ronthar suddenly gripped the chains, making them grind against each other and Marland had the realisation that that was a signal, and he was only just able to understand what for when Ronthar spun around and slammed the woman into the wall.

Fuck. Don't be distracted with what was happening with them and take out the other one! Marland snapped his wings back, hoping to catch the man off guard, but he had been standing far enough back that the blow didn't connect. There was suddenly a gust of wind at Marland's back but he shoved that bit of information to the back of his mind.

He could see the man's wide eyes as he pressed the buttons on the controller and Marland used his stunned belief to tackle him to the ground. The man struggled, trying to twist out of his grasp and then tried to elbow Marland in the face when he couldn't escape his claws. The man sucked in a breath and Marland grabbed his jaw, using his claws to force the man's mouth shut.

Marland knew this was going to be messy and there wasn't anything he could do about it – with his ears flat, Marland tore the man's throat out, just like he had done with the first guard. Blood sprayed out and a dark pool quickly formed around the human's head as he gargled and twitched. Marland turned his head away, and saw that the woman was similarly dead, her eyes unseeing as she slumped against the wall.

Shit, now what they were going to do?

Ronthar had somehow not even gotten a single drop of blood on him, but it wasn't like Marland knew what Ronthar's magic did. Even then, the blood around the woman's body wasn't any different – it was dark and quickly spreading across the white floor. The smell of blood was overpowering – it was all Marland could smell, and it even felt like he could taste it on his tongue it was so strong.

Marland couldn't hear any approaching footsteps at least and he really hoped there wasn’t a button on the controllers that raised an alarm.

There…wasn't any point in trying to hide the bodies. Even if they did, it would take up time just trying to move them and with that amount of blood on the floor –it was still spreading with every passing second- they wouldn't be able to clean it up without leaving marks.

Ronthar was leaning on the wall, taking deep breaths, his whole body shaking. The shackles clinked together with every movement. When he saw that Marland had seen him like that, he smiled at him weakly. "I've killed people before, but that had been when we were defending ourselves. We've never-" He broke off, looking away.

Marland didn't know what to do; he didn't exactly have a lot of experience with comforting people. He had also gotten used to killing xeni a long time ago and he couldn't remember what he had felt the first time he had killed a xeno. He could remember doing it, but not much more than that.

"…We should go," he eventually said, staring down the corridor. He could see that there was a line of smaller blood marks on the ground that weren't from the fight. He followed the trail up with his eyes – there was always an equal distance between each mark, and they looked similar every time. He remembered what he had just seen coming down that corridor and tried to see if that would fit. If one of the wheels of the trolley had gotten some blood on it…

"Yeah," Ronthar said quietly as he pushed himself away from the wall. He was still trembling but he took a deep breath and then eyed Marland. "You're…going to need to wash that blood off."

Marland looked down and winced, his ears flattening. He hadn't realised just how covered in blood he was and it showed up starkly against his green and gold scales. Ugh.

He flicked his eyes at the plaques next to the doors that surrounded them; they looked like they were all personal offices and Marland didn't want to waste time searching in each one, hoping one might have a bottle of water.

He futilely tried to rub it off with a hand – all it did was smear across his palm and he still looked like he was covered in blood.

"If we pass a toilet, I'll clean myself there," he muttered. Maybe someone would think he was supposed to look like this. It would just be better if they didn't pass anyone, but the way their luck had been going lately, it was doubtful that would happen.

Ronthar nodded, taking a few steps away from the wall before he hesitated, glancing back at the woman. "Do you think we should…get their cardkeys?" he asked hesitantly.

Marland nodded, eyeing the corpses.

Breathing through his mouth, Marland went through the man's pockets, trying to not look at the ragged slashes across his neck. He found a cardkey in the man's breast pocket and nothing else; so hopefully they wouldn't need any keys.

When they confirmed with each other that they each had a cardkey, they walked away from the bodies, Marland holding the chains of the shackles taut in his hands – it was annoying having them jingling all the time, and it made him paranoid that he might not hear someone coming because of them.

It wasn't long before Marland saw a toilet sign – for women, but that really didn't matter to him. He ducked into it, glad that it wasn't locked. He headed straight for the sink and ran the tap, hearing Ronthar follow him in.

He cleaned his hand and claws as best as he could, and then splashed himself with water and looked around for something to wipe himself with. There wasn't anything. There were air hand dryers if he understood the pictures on them but he didn't want to use them, in case they were loud. Inside the cubicles though, he found toilet paper so he took a bunch and started to clean himself up. When he pulled the papers away, they were bright red. Looking away from them, he threw the papers in the toilet.

"I think," Ronthar said slowly when he grabbed another handful, "we need to talk about what signals mean what."

Marland glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, wondering what he was doing. They should be quiet, but he'd be able to hear someone coming towards them before they did. It was a welcome distraction though for both of them – he could hear that Ronthar's voice wasn't that steady either.

"Don't think we'll need to use that again."

Ronthar shrugged, the shackles clicking against each other. "We may; we don't know."

He snorted softly as he threw the next batch of toilet paper down the toilet. "What other signals do you know?"

"I don't," came the wry reply. "But we should at least know when someone is giving a signal."

"So we just stick with tapping the shackles," Marland said with a shrug. It had worked, even if it had taken a while for him to understand it.

He peered down at himself again and saw that the blood wasn't as obvious anymore and with one last wipe to dry himself off, Marland dropped those papers in the toilet, flushed it and stepped out of the cubicle.

Ronthar hummed as he looked at the door, a small lilt to his lips. "What if we're not in shackles at that time?"

Marland just stared at him, not bothering to think of an answer.

With a short chuckle, Ronthar headed towards the door and Marland followed after him, shaking his head. He really didn't want to think about when they would need signals like that again.

They were quiet as they started following after the blood trail again, Ronthar also holding his chains so that they made less noise. It wasn't long before the trail stopped at a door and Marland and Ronthar stared at it before they looked at each other. Marland glanced around them and felt that where they were standing was familiar, possibly the same place that they had been made to do their magic.

"Ready?" he murmured, keeping his ears in constant movement, far too aware of the silence.

Ronthar took a breath and then nodded. Marland swallowed and then swiped the card. It beeped and did nothing else. They shared another look and then pushed the door open.

The smell of blood assaulted Marland's nose, mixed in with the scent of burnt flesh. He reeled back, his eyes widening; he then shook his head and pushed the door open.

The magic circle was there, but it looked different from when Marland had last seen it. What was hanging in the air was transparent and looked like someone had bent a thick glass rod into place rather than moulding something to look like fire. He couldn't see if the circle on the floor was different from usual because it was covered in blood, the splatters reaching from edge to edge.

In the centre of the circle was a bright sparking ball of light about the size of a dinner plate that didn't stay still, but it couldn't get out of the middle, no matter how much it bashed itself up against what seemed like an invisible wall. The air felt different as well – Marland felt more pressure on his wings; it must have been because he was standing on the outside of the circle this time, instead of in it. Maybe that was why they had stood in that room when they were…

Marland spun to check the small room, berating himself for getting distracted.

And Balt was there, walking out of the small room, an easy smile on his face.

"It's good to have you back in my possession again."

Marland snarled at him, baring his teeth before he stopped himself. Balt wasn't carrying a controller, but Marland could see something in one of his pockets.

What the fuck were they going to do? They'd walked right into Balt and they didn't know where Fion was!

"What did you do to him?" Ronthar asked darkly, glaring at Balt.

Distaste crossed Balt's face. "Nothing. The magic refuses to accept a host. It can't leave the circle without a host and any person I introduce it to, it kills."

Ronthar clenched his hands into fists before he shook his head. "I told you that would happen."

Balt's smile turned lazy. "You also told me that it was impossible to remove a 'laknur' from their host."

Wait, that ball of light was Fion?

The smile turned into a frown as Balt flicked his eyes at Fion, a considering look on his face. "I do think, however, that it was easier to remove the magic than it is making it accept a new host." He slid his eyes to them. "But if the magic knew that its previous host was dead, it may be more amicable to trying a new host."

Marland stared at him, his eyes wide, as he mind tried furiously to process that. If Fion thought Ronthar was dead then-

He shoved Ronthar out the way as a bullet sang right where they had been standing, his ears buzzing with the bang.

"Fion," Ronthar breathed, his attention taken by both his lak – magic and the gun in Balt's hands.

Marland pushed past the initial reflex of expecting pain and flung a fireball in Balt's direction. Ronthar knew Fion more than him and they would be able to fight better together. Trying to even his breathing, Marland concentrated on stopping Balt from firing again, hearing Ronthar scrambling behind him.

He couldn't stop himself from balking slightly every time he called his magic, giving Balt that extra second to move and aim. The gun also had a much faster firing rate than he did.

He wasn't able to make Balt lose his grip on his weapon, or even make him stumble either. Marland's ears were flat from all the noise that was echoing around him and he had no idea how many more bullets were left. At least he was able to keep Balt's attention split between-

Ronthar screamed.

Marland snapped his head towards the sound in time to see Ronthar fall, blood already spreading on his side. He was so close to where Fion was, and Fion was hovering near the ground, as near to Ronthar as he could get.

Marland couldn't breathe as his focus zeroed in on what he was seeing. He couldn't think and it felt like his legs had just had the strength yanked from them.

He heard Balt sigh and he slowly raised his head to glare at him, baring his teeth, a growl in his throat.

"If you're injured," Balt said, aiming for him, "you're less likely to fight back; your scales will protect you from being hurt too badly."

Marland roared, feeling his magic come at his call without hesitation and he threw it at Balt. Who dodged it and fired at him.

He snarled in frustration as Balt continued to shoot at him; he couldn't get closer to him and he couldn't hit him either with his magic. Marland didn't really care about his own safety; he just wanted Balt dead - but he wouldn't be able to do that if he was hurt. Especially if he was wearing a working collar.

There was suddenly a flash of light and Marland stumbled for a few steps and then kept moving, just in case Balt continued firing. He didn't, and Marland hesitated, not wanting to run right into Balt's line of fire or into a wall.

His eyesight came back far too fucking slowly and all he could hear was quick breathing and scuffed footsteps. As soon as he saw a Balt-shaped blur, Marland raced for that, hoping he was still distracted.

Balt wasn't – Marland heard and felt something clip his ear but he didn't stop and continued forward.

He could hear something else running alongside him but he wouldn't tell what it was – the light had grown again, but he was dimly aware that whatever-it-was was on four legs.

He hit Balt a second after a bright something shot ahead of him, snarling. Balt was already falling over, screaming, when Marland reached him, his claws out, and he suddenly hit by the smell of burning flesh. Now he wouldn't miss.

No time to double-check where the neck was and he might not make a fatal hit if he aimed for the torso, so Marland called his fire to him and shot it straight down, knowing he wouldn't hurt himself doing that.

Balt screamed again, louder this time, before it was cut abruptly short, and Marland could hear a growl that wasn't his own beside him.

He stumbled as he felt teeth grasp his wrist and started to tug him towards where Ronthar had fallen. His heart clenched and his stomach fell. Who and what was-

-'Hurry!'- Marland stumbled again as he recognised that voice. -'Ronthar's hurt and I don't-'- Fion stopped talking, a high whine in his throat as he continued to tug him forward. Marland eventually growled, squinting in the direction of Fion.

"Could ya stop bein' so fucking bright or somethin' so I can see?"

-'Oh.'- Fion didn't stop pulling, but Marland found the world slowly stopped being a white haze. He then nearly tripped over Ronthar's body.

Ronthar was still breathing, harsh and quick, and he waved weakly when Marland stooped over him. His other hand was wrapped around his side, blood seeping through his fingers. Shit. There was fuck all he could do for bullet wounds-

"Just," Ronthar said, wincing, "give me – something to cover it." He took another sucking breath. "It grazed my side – nothing important."

Relief crashed into Marland. Good. It wasn't great, but it could have been a lot worse.

There wasn't anything they could use…apart from Balt's clothes. Which was currently burning. He hurried to Balt's body and patted down one section, ignoring the mess that was Balt's face and the stench that was emanating from him, ripping off a section with the help of his claws. Apart from one black edge, it seemed like it would be all right to use.

He quickly got back to Ronthar's side and shoved it under his wet fingers, making sure that the black edge stuck out and didn't make any contact with the wound.

"Thanks," Ronthar murmured, his jaw clenched. His breathing had evened out slightly, but not by much. "Let's go."

Definitely. Marland grabbed Ronthar's offered hand and gently pulled him up. Ronthar leaned on his arm once he was upright, shaking with his head bowed. He didn't look like he was going to collapse but he was pretty much putting his full weight on Marland.

He knew what it was like to get up after being injured though, so he let Ronthar get used to being upright. While he waited, he studied Fion, his head cocked to the side slightly.

Fion stood at about stomach height on all fours, fox-like with a triangular head but stockier with thicker legs. His fur was long and wild, and it moved like it was in an invisible wind. His tail looked huge, a long fluffy thing that was a straight line from his spine.

Ronthar sighed deeply before he put more weight on his own feet. He wobbled for a second, and then leaned on Marland's arm again. Looked like he was going to have to support him while they escaped.

Fion stood by Ronthar as he walked past and Ronthar took his hand away from Marland's arm and brushed it through his fur before he placed it back on Marland's arm. Fion then bounded off towards the door; he scrabbled at it for a few seconds and then looked at them over his shoulder.

-'How do you open it?'-

Fion didn't seem that different from the last time Marland had seen him.

Marland dug into his pocket and pulled out the cardkey. Fion came over and plucked it out of his hand with his teeth and went back to the door with a flick of his tail.

Fion nosed around the panel and then there was a beep. He went onto his back legs and pushed the door open, holding it there with his body while Marland and Ronthar made their way over, painfully slow.

As soon as they cleared the door, Fion dashed off ahead and Marland stared after him, wondering if he should call him back, or if that would be too loud. Except he couldn't hear anyone coming towards them, even after all the gunshots.

"It's all right," Ronthar breathed, wincing. "I'm telling him – follow the blood. He's…making sure – no-one's around."

Okay. But there were a few questions on Marland's mind. "How're you doing that?" And: "I thought you two couldn't separate." His ears flattened when the questions slipped out. Ronthar should be focusing on breathing and moving, not answering his questions.

Ronthar huffed, a breathless laugh escaping his lips. "Puzz and I… We're connected in our minds."

Oh. That… Marland had no idea if that made sense.

Fion continued to guide their way, poking his head around a corner to check on them every once in a while.

Marland didn't hear anyone as they moved; he didn't hear much apart from their footsteps and their unsteady breathing.

"Being shot," Ronthar said haltingly at one point, "looks easier on TV."

He snorted. "Crap movie, remember?"

Ronthar suddenly stumbled and Marland used his other hand to keep him up. Ronthar stared up at him, his eyes unfocused, a confused expression on his face.

Shit. "Ronthar!" Shit! He couldn't be-

"Oh," Ronthar said faintly, his eyes going wide. "Oh. Marland, I'm so sorry."

Marland's ears went flat. He wasn't going to-

"I remember being Shodin."

What? Marland gaped at him, his mind stuttering. "And Ronthar…?" If Shodin had forgotten being Ronthar the first time, and Ronthar had forgotten being Shodin…

Ronthar nodded shakily, squeezing his eyes shut. "Everything. I remember everything."

Marland's brain shut down again as he stared at him. He remembered…everything? And now really wasn't the time to be distracted by something, no matter what it was. Marland turned his head away, shoving his emotions to the side. They had to get out safely first or else it wouldn't mean as much if they were caught – and Ronthar was killed after Fion had been ripped from him again.

-'What's wrong?'-

Ronthar shook his head.

Fion hummed. -'Okay.'- …Had Ronthar just said something to Fion? Fion wasn't in sight so he couldn't have seen Ronthar shake his head.

-'…There's dead bodies here.'- Fion sounded disturbed.

There was another pause. -'Really? Oh.'-

Ronthar took another deep breath. "Fire exit again?"

Marland snorted. "Yeah. I wouldn't be able to find our way back and we can't drive a car." He didn't want to see what Fion thought of being inside a car – he wasn't shaped to drive them either.

Ronthar wheezed a laugh.

Marland wasn't sure how long it had been since everything had started, but Fion herded them from place to place, warning them when someone was coming their way.

It was slow going, and Marland heard only one half of the conversation as Fion and Ronthar chatted with each other. He could make a good guess what Ronthar was saying though. He had to digest that Ronthar had regained all of his memory anyway, so he didn't mind – Ronthar talking that way didn't waste his breath either.

-'It was a green light above a door, wasn't it?'- Fion asked while Ronthar rested on a wall, his eyes closed, his forehead beaded with sweat. Marland had been flexing his arm, trying to get rid of the sore feeling of being tensed for too long.

-'I've found one?'- Another small pause. –'It's close.'-

And there hadn't been any trouble. Marland was getting a little paranoid, but…Fion had been helping, and his ears were all right, so between them, they'd seen and heard anyone who had been moving about at this time and been able to avoid them. It had still been easy though and he kept expecting something to crop up that ruined everything.

The door they were lead to, Marland wasn't sure if it was the same one but that didn't really matter. He just hoped it didn't lead to the main street.

Fion rolled his head at them in greeting before he turned around to face the door. –'So you open it like this…?'-

Marland only realised what Fion was doing and what that would mean when Fion went back on his hind legs and pushed the bar down. Oh, shit. "Wait-!"

The door swung open and Marland's ears snapped down just as the alarm started blazing around them. Fuck. How had he forgotten that?

-'What's going on?'- Fion demanded as he span around, trying to find the source of the racket.

Marland didn't bother to answer, and just hoped Ronthar was able to explain; Fion would at least be able to hear him. They stumbled their way towards the exit, Fion ducking in and out in a flurry.

-'No-one's here,'- Fion reported as they made the last couple of steps towards the door and Marland breathed a shaky sigh of relief at the cool night air.

Now they just had to fucking work out where the hell they were and how the hell they were going to get home.

Marland lifted his head at the sound of someone running towards them, their shoes thumping on the pavement.

Fion poked his head around a corner. -'Someone's coming!'- he yelped.

Yeah, he knew. He tugged Ronthar in the other direction but Ronthar froze, resisting him. Wha – why…?

"Wait," Ronthar strained. "It's-"

Marland's ears flicked towards the sound of someone walking hurriedly towards them. They were caught between two people and…Ronthar said to wait.

"Dammit," a woman growled. He blinked as he recognised the voice. Helval glared at them as she came into view, her mouth a thin line and Marland looked over his shoulder to see Dinnow come up behind them. "Move now before we go deaf from the bloody alarm." She came forward and nudged Marland away from Ronthar. As soon as she could, she slipped under Ronthar's arm, keeping a hold of his hand on her shoulder. They moved slightly quicker as they crossed the street – which Marland was glad for – he could hear a couple of people coming out already.

"How the hell did you-" Marland shook his head. Why the hell did he keep asking questions now? Except, look at what had happened when he hadn't asked questions.

"Inside," Helval bit out. Inside where? "And I don't suppose you come with a dimmer switch or something?" she asked pointedly at Fion, who cocked his head at her.

-'Huh? 'Dimmer switch'? '-

Helval stared at Fion, and then sighed.

-'Oh,'- Fion said quietly. –'I can – yeah, I will.'- Fion nodded once and then padded over to Ronthar. While Marland watched, Fion's shape wavered, like his whole body was slowly becoming more like his hair, before he began to go transparent the closer he got to Ronthar. When he was only a step away, Fion had gone completely from their sight.

"I hope no-one was recording that," Helval muttered.

Ronthar chuckled and then winced. "He's too big…for the van."

Marland heard a 'click' and then a door of a nearby van swung open. Nillos' head popped out, the bandages around his head standing out in the night. He smiled, taking them all in and then climbed half out, keeping an eye for anyone coming up behind them.

Marland eyed the small space while Helval and Dinnow helped Ronthar into the back of the van. He didn't care to hold onto the seat again, and after all that had happened, lying on the floor wasn't as objectionable as it had been. He didn't want to be lying at anyone's feet though.

He clambered in, ducking his head under the roof and tucking his wings in. He used the wall to help with his balance as he walked down the van and when he was far enough along that he could lie down on it without having to pull himself up to fit, Marland lay down on the long seat.

As soon as Nillos had sat down in the front seat, even before he had shut the door, the van was already moving and Marland lay his head on the seat when it didn't stop.

Helval peered at the bloody fabric clenched between Ronthar's fingers. "You're going to have to go to a hospital," she informed him, and Marland's heart sank. He wouldn't be able to go with him, or be allowed anywhere near the hospital.

"But what are we going to tell the doctors?" Dinnow asked.

"Someone thought…I was a xeno?" Ronthar joked.

Helval snorted. "That'll work – they hear that all the time."

They lapsed into silence and Marland let the sound of the engine rumble around him. He wanted to ask how they knew where they were, why they had been waiting there, but he suddenly felt so exhausted, like all his strength had just been burned out of his body in one go.

-'Ronthar wants to know how you found us.'-

Marland twitched when Fion's voice jerked him back to alertness – he hadn't even realised he'd begun to doze off.

"Laris gave us a licence plate and a direction." Helval shrugged. "We followed them here and then waited around."

Oh. That didn't explain why they'd done it, but maybe he should just stop thinking about that. People did things that Marland didn't always understand, and if they wanted to do it, he couldn't stop them; that was just what they did because that was who they were.

"Just, sleep for now, all right?"

The world had already been going hazy, and Helval's voice had been like Marland had heard it through a long tunnel. He closed his eyes and fell straight to sleep.


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